weekendcycling

Weblog + Archives + December, 2006

Railroad Grade Road

Last fall, my family and I traveled to the North Carolina mountains for a weekend vacation. We brought our bikes, and we (well, my brother and I) had a few chances to ride during the trip. On one of the rides, we biked along Railroad Grade Road, which connects the towns of Fleetwood and Todd.

As the name indicates, it is built on an old railroad grade, so the route is completely flat (no hills!). At first, we thought that since the road is narrow and has sharp turns, traffic would be a problem, but since we were riding in the early morning we did not see many cars. We rode the 10 miles from Fleetwood to Todd, which was a really enjoyable and scenic ride.

If you are ever in the area, this is a (relatively) short, easy, and laid-back ride you could try.

Share the Road sign
Above: Looking out over a barn at a “Share the Road” sign. The early morning fog is just breaking up.

Taking a break at an abandoned country store along the road.
Above: Taking a break at an abandoned country store along the road.

A really nice route: great scenery and flat, open roads.
Above: A really nice route: great scenery and flat, open roads.

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Winter cycling

I was planning a group ride not too long ago, and one of my friends reminded me to keep an eye on the weather, as not too many people would come on a casual Saturday ride if the weather was really bad.

snowy roads
Above: OK, so maybe the roads here in North Carolina won’t look like this, but it might get a little chilly.

So, what can you do to make winter riding more enjoyable? I was digging around and found one of Phillip’s columns from a while back titled “Proper dress key to wintertime cycling“.

Here’s an excerpt:

A lot of cyclists hang up their bikes this time of year and either turn to other sports to get them through the winter or just soften up around the middle. But, for those of us who either don’t want to or can’t give up cycling for even a few months, we really don’t have to.

He goes on to mention ways to stay warm and give tips on riding in colder weather. Read the rest of this entry »

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